When the year began, after two years of lockdowns and a new location in the country, I was unsure as to what this year would entail, but it has been as busy as ever.
July
It started with an Independence Day barbecue with many of the missionaries around the island. Then Kelly went on a trip with the boys to visit missionaries, and I stayed home and collected honeybees to begin beekeeping on our property. During this time, I was searching through all of my paperwork to get documents for Keith II to apply for dual citizenship. A week after Kelly and the boys returned was Victory Youth Camp. I was supposed to attend the camp, but we discovered a power steering problem that began when Kelly was away. So, Kelly went to camp with the boys and Lana. Also, my mechanic agreed to try to fix the car so I could preach there on Thursday. I headed down at the end of the week and preached. I got to be a small part of the camp and meet some of the campers. After camp, there was a group of street preachers from all over Europe who came to preach in all of the major cities in Ireland. They showed up for church on Wednesday with 16 men. We also had a missionary couple from Italy presenting their ministry that night, and it was Bro. Andrew Day’s birthday and Kelly’s and my wedding anniversary. It was a great night of praying, testimonies, singing, and hearing from the missionaries going back to their home country of Italy.
August
This month, we were planning to go to the USA as a family to visit our parents, visit supporting and new churches, and go on a short family holiday at the Ark Encounter. We were down to a week before Keith II needed to have his paperwork in. We contacted the immigration lawyer we have been working with, and she told us that if Keith II left the country before the application was submitted, we would have to wait another year to apply. We decided that the best option was for Kelly and Keith II to stay in Ireland while I continued with the trip with the two youngest boys. We celebrated Keenan’s birthday, and a couple of days later, we flew to Washington D.C. There we got a rental car and drove down to Newport News, Virginia, to visit my mother-in-law. It had been five years since we last saw her, and we had a wonderful time with her. While there, we visited Newport News Baptist Church, and the pastor had me give a testimony. I did the same at Central Baptist Church in Yorktown, Virginia, as well. Then on the 15th, we flew to Tampa. I rented a car, had lunch with a pastor friend from college, and headed down to Port Charlotte, Florida. We had a lovely time visiting with my parents and sister. We also visited a few local IBCs, and then on the 22nd, we flew to Cincinnati, Ohio. There we got to have some downtime as a family before we headed back to Ireland, arriving in Ireland on the 30th. Just before we left, I got to travel to Martinsburg, Indiana, to preach for their Missions Month and talk about what the Lord has been doing in the Limerick area. Things went well at the church while we were away, with Bro. Day and Bro. Baker keeping things going in my absence. I’m so thankful for the great job that they did. While we were away, Kelly and Keith II helped with the church and with projects at other missionaries’ churches as well.
Soul Winning
The German man Caleb, who has been actively getting Gospel tracts out all over County Clare, has the burden to be a street preacher. It worked out that a street-preaching group, who chooses a European country each year to go around preaching in, decided to come to Ireland. Caleb went along with them as they travelled around the island. I was expecting to go with them to Limerick City on Thursday, but unfortunately, they went to Limerick on Wednesday afternoon instead. I was not able to go because I was picking up the Italian missionary who was presenting his work that night. Although I was not able to be there, their preaching in Limerick resulted in five people making public professions on the street. This was a great encouragement for Caleb to see, as the previous cities had yielded few results, but Limerick had five. What a blessing!
Please pray for these needs:
1. Co-laborers in Limerick
2. Protection over the ministry
3. More visitors in the countryside
4. Those who were saved to come to church
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails, birthday gifts and cards for Keenan, cards for our anniversary, and for your faithful prayers and support. Also, you can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
In combat for souls in Ireland,
Keith Hamilton